30 Days
by poplarleaves
Summary: 30 short love stories following Drew and May. He's always amazed by her innocence and freedom, and she is held fast by his strength and steadiness of will. K plus because of romance.
1. Holding Hands

Drew had never been very good at expressing his feelings toward her, and even two months into their relationship he still felt strange about holding her hand. It always seemed too forced, contrived. He didn't feel like he needed much other than his words to communicate with her, and so their relationship progressed with very little physical contact, and the little contact they had was usually initiated by her.

But today was one of the first days of winter, and they had gone to a little café for a light dinner and coffee - well, coffee for her and tea for him - and it had been nice. He had watched her as she smiled at him, sipped her coffee, burned her tongue and laughed it off as usual. He had smiled a little, too, at her antics, knowing that she did it for him, trying to get him to laugh as she always did in her adorable puppylike enthusiasm. And he had chuckled tonight. She had succeeded a few times over the years, and tonight was one of them.

He loved her for that.

Now they were stepping out of the café, she cradling her coffee in her hands, sniffing it with a slight smile on her cold-blushed face as she looked out at the world before them, probably thinking about how wonderful it was, or perhaps thinking nothing at all, only feeling it. The fading light of sunset touched her as she looked toward it, windblown hair framing her face. And he was watching her from behind as always, wondering at her innocence, her purity and her joy. It amazed him. His own world had been so closed before: a world of competition and strict rules, lines and boundaries drawn straight and clear - and then he had met her and her wildness, her silliness and her little mistakes and, above all, her freedom of emotion. Now whenever he looked at her, he could feel that same freedom welling up in him; perhaps not happening in the same way, but it was there.

He loved her so much for that.

And now that feeling welling up in him threatened to spill over, to overwhelm him with its raw intensity. She was saying something; he didn't know what, because every sound from her lips brought him greater and greater feeling, just waiting to tumble out and consume him. Was it possible, really, to be changed so much by one person? Was it possible to love one person so much?

He had to do something, say something to show her.

Mid-sentence, she turned when he slid his hand onto hers, and he saw her mouth open slightly from surprise. His other hand took her waist as he stepped in front of her and he knew she would know that even when he was trying to take the initiative, he was begging for her to show him the way.

She smiled and let go of her coffee with the hand he had taken, folding it into his. Her fingers were cold, but her palm was warm, and almost shyly he let his fingers seek that warmth, just as his heart always sought for her love.

Now she tugged on his hand and stepped forward, and he held on to her, still wondering.

* * *

I'll be updating this for the next 30 days until it's complete. Also check out my tumblr and my deviantART (links on my profile) for the artwork I'm doing for it. :)


	2. Cuddling

He didn't often invite her over to his apartment; more often his parents asked him to bring her to dinner, and then they would have a slightly awkward but generally enjoyable time where his father would try to pry into the details of their relationship while his mother would chastise his father for doing so, even though it seemed like she was curious as well. May always tried to answer their questions as best she could. Though they were both rather proper and strict in everything, they weren't bad people. She could see where Drew had inherited his tight-laced demeanor.

But that made it all the more enjoyable when they opened up - especially him.

So she was a little surprised when one night Drew invited her to dine at his apartment, located close to the shore of Lilycove. She had arrived in town for the next contest, which was starting in a few days and in which Drew had decided not to participate. They tried not to compete against each other in any contests before the Grand Festival each year, though sometimes they would still do so out of necessity. It was a difficult each time because of their fierce competitiveness and his perfectionistic streak, but they always made up afterwards, squashing their silly prides and insecurities. He tended to be especially sweet whenever he won against her, which she secretly felt was worth the loss.

Of course, she would never say that aloud.

But tonight was different. It had seemed almost spontaneous, which was not very Drew-like behavior. Tonight she had arrived a little earlier than he had expected, which had subsequently placed more pressure on him and his culinary skill, so she had obediently waited close to the entrance before he finally declared that the preparations were complete. She wasn't sure why he had decided to make dinner for her at his place, but she felt she knew why he seemed more agitated than usual. When he became agitated his speech was clipped, his actions even more severe and absent of flair than usual, and he would sometimes take a much longer time to deliberate before answering her questions. She noticed all of this tonight, deduced that her early entry had unbalanced him, and wisely held her tongue until he finally loosened up and let her in. As she walked in he came behind her, took her coat, pulled out the chair for her and took his seat, all the while trying not to seem like he was trying to impress her.

He always did try so hard to impress.

She complimented everything from the food to the candles, though not to the point of gushing, because that would have offended him. She also refrained from complimenting the rose-scented air fresheners that he had undoubtedly used and stashed in secret before she had arrived, because she knew that he secretly knew that she loved those, and it would have embarrassed him to admit it.

They ate, May savoring each bite while Drew probably internally critiqued it. Of course it was delicious; he perfected everything he did before feeling confident enough to present it.

During dinner he mentioned almost nonchalantly - though not quite - that he had something else to occupy them for the evening, after they finished dinner. She wondered at this and teased him a little to see if she could have him reveal it, though she knew he wouldn't. He was adamant, refusing to reveal anything, though adding a little saucily that if she were a good girl and finished her vegetables, he might reveal it earlier. Equally saucy, she left one piece of spinach on her plate. He raised an eyebrow at that. She laughed.

This was why she loved him.

When he had cleared the table - he had insisted on doing all of it himself, though she had offered to help - he told her to close her eyes as he led her to the balcony, the door of which he had kept shuttered and closed tonight, which was unusual. She let him lead her there, his hands on her shoulders, as she listened to the sounds of his footsteps and his opening the balcony doors. The instant he opened them, a low wash of sound and night air came over her, and she took a breath as he told her to open her eyes. She did so, and her heart leapt.

He had laid out candles here too, and strewn the railing with soft strings of lights, and where his balcony had been bare before he had planted a row of miniature pink-and-red roses that almost glowed with the light from the candles and strings. What really caught her eye, however, was the view of the Lilycove streets. A few months ago she had mentioned Lilycove's annual parade, the Night of Flowers, to him and how beautiful it would be to watch it from above, and tonight he whispered to her that he had remembered.

So that was why.

Another surprise awaited her - a cushioned loveseat, complete with a blanket to keep them warm during the night. She couldn't stop smiling for some silly reason as he led her over. It was all just so sweet and overdone that she couldn't stand it. She felt as if she would burst with the happiness.

After he took his seat next to her, she moved closer, letting their hands, their knees, their thighs, their shoulders touch. He pulled the blanket over her and tenderly tucked her in. At that, she leaned in and pecked him on the cheek, drawing back just a little to look at him. Her heart stopped as it always did when she looked into his clear green eyes, now more than ever because they reflected the warm lights that surrounded them. At first he was taken by surprise. But then he seemed to open up, because he took her face in his hands ever so gently and kissed her back.

She felt an odd mixture of solemnity and boyish ecstasy in that kiss. It summed him up rather well.

* * *

This was supposed to be about cuddling, but the cuddling part came in only at the very end, haha. Oh well.


	3. Movies

She always liked to convince him to do things he never would have done otherwise.

It was summer and as usual, the typical over-the-top summer blockbusters were lined up at the cinema, producing crowds of parents, kids, and couples. Despite Drew's preference for watching movies from home and despite his busy practice schedule, May had insisted on having him watch one of the aforementioned blockbusters with her. At last he had knit his brows one final time and given in. He had been defeated by her wiles this time, but it wasn't a total loss: originally she had wanted him to go with her and _her brother. _No, that wouldn't happen until the kid entered his twenties and stopped being such a little know-it-all.

So today they were sitting in a darkened theater, a bag of greasy, overpriced and aromatic popcorn balanced on the armrest between them, awaiting the opening credits of _The Legend of the Pokémon Knight_. The lights dimmed, bringing the audience's whispers down with it as the previews played. May slid closer. He noted that she distracted him more than the flashing pictures on the screen.

They proceeded to sit through an hour and a half of quality family entertainment. It was fairly usual fare - princesses, treasure, pirates, battles between good and evil, and even a few plot twists. Drew watched it with a critical eye, evaluating the directing, acting, and soundtrack; May simply laughed and gasped and cried at every little thing. Despite finding the film lacking in many respects, he couldn't help but enjoy it when he saw her doing so. When the movie reached its climax and the hero used the power of his heart to save the princess, May laid her head on his shoulder and her hand on his and whispered about how sweet it was. Though it was horribly cliché and the acting far from stellar, he nodded and agreed. And he turned his hand to hold hers.

It was very sweet.

Afterward, he knew, he would nitpick and criticize everything while she protested and praised it. Afterward they would exit the theater and step into light and noise and everyday life, tossing the empty popcorn bag into a trash can as they argued their way out the door of the cinema and May laughed and he presented each point slowly, clearly. But now was not later, and the movie hadn't ended yet.

He could enjoy this a little longer.

* * *

Sorry it's so short compared to the other ones. I'm really busy today and I probably won't have time to draw anything for it, either. :( However, I will be continuing this for another 27 days, so stay tuned! :)


	4. Date

Slateport always had amazing weather, and May knew she had to take advantage of it while they were in town. So she ever-so-casually mentioned to Drew that they should rest for a day and check out some places in the city.

"A date?" he asked bluntly. As she floundered to answer, he added nonchalantly, "We have time. It's a while until the contest."

May was delighted. They traveled together, yes, but a lot of their time was usually taken up by practice and rehearsal and perfecting their Pokemon. To have a day completely practice-free was uncommon. And since they were together almost all the time, those days tended to be a bit date-ish. He didn't have to be so blunt about it, though. Typical Drew. Always wanting to get his lines straight.

In the morning May got up early, feeling fluttery. He saw her every day, so she knew that _he _knew how completely unattractive she could be - especially in the morning - but today she spent an extra half hour picking through her limited wardrobe and fussing about everything. After all, today was special.

As for Drew, though, he was always polished to perfection, so when they met that morning in the hallway outside of their rooms, he looked the same as he always did.

"Keys, Pokénav, Pokéballs?" he asked, as soon as she emerged from her door. After traveling with her and realizing how easily she forgot things, he had taken to reminding her each time they left.

"Check, check and check," she replied brightly. He answered only with a nod and began to walk toward the exit.

They ate breakfast at a little bakery café nearby, and as usual May teased him about his habit of drinking milk rather than coffee every time, while he shrugged it off and lifted the cup to his lips, also as per usual. She treated herself to cake; he bit into a sandwich. A little shyly, she suggested that they visit the Slateport Market, to which he agreed, and eagerly she began to list all the items that she had seen last time that she _hoped_ she could buy today, although she wasn't quite sure that it would all fit in her bag, but at least she wanted to get that cute something-or-other that had been _so_ pretty. Drew merely nodded or shrugged or furrowed his brow - slightly - at each mention of an item, but she knew he was listening. He was always listening. She knew it very well, and it wasn't something she took for granted.

So they left the café, and by now it was around ten o'clock and the sun was shining and the market was bustling with life and voices and smells and colors and - above all - food. May flirted with each stand and flitted from one side of the street to the other, exclaiming at each vendor's wares. Spotting a booth selling Pokémon dolls - "ohmigosh, so adorable!" - she rushed over and proceeded to attempt to haggle with the vendor for a Skitty doll. Her eagerness betrayed her, however, and she seemed to be in dire straits until suddenly Drew joined in and started to motion her away from the stand. After acting through a farce of pretending to leave and almost _really_ wanting to leave, they managed to lower the price to half of what it had been listed for - which was _only_ twice as much as the doll should be worth. In any case, it was a victory, and May thanked him afterward as she clutched the doll and spun around giddily.

Some more wandering, and they bought lunch from one of the stands. May had tucked the doll - plus a few small trinkets - into her bag so that she would have her hands free for eating. They were now sitting on a bench at the edge of the Market that was closest to the ocean, and as a breeze came off the sea, she mentioned (slyly, she thought) that she always _loved_ to have ice cream right after visiting the Market, because there was a little shop nearby.

Drew gave her a look. She gave him a look back.

He came back five minutes later with one vanilla and one strawberry cone and asked her which one she wanted. Eagerly she snatched up the strawberry and proceeded to demolish it, all the while watching him from the corner of her eye as he ever-so-methodically chiseled his with his tongue. He was _so _careful about it. My, what a _good_ ice-cream-eater he was. It almost made her want him to eat _her_ instead. _Oh my._

Thinking this made her giggle, and she managed an undignified snort just before bursting into full-blown laughter. He was probably confused, but she didn't want to explain. Besides, she really _had_ experienced the wonders of his tongue before.

After that she guffawed until even her thoughts were no longer coherent.

By the time she had recovered from her fit, he had finished his ice cream and the cone with it. She, on the other hand, still had half of a drippy cone of strawberry ice cream on her hands. Oh, there went a drop! Shizz. In dismay she tried to lick up the melting parts and succeeded only in getting a splatter on her knee. Really? She made a noise in frustration and was about to give up when suddenly a hand appeared in front of her, holding a napkin. Accepting the napkin, she looked up in time to see Drew take the cone, and to her shock, he ran his tongue around the cone, cleaning it up in one long, methodical lick.

Now _she_ was the one melting.

For a while she couldn't get the image out of her head: Drew, leaning forward so the creamy pink mess wouldn't drip on him, running his tongue along it in a long sexy sweep. But then he suggested visiting the Oceanic Museum, and after they had seen piles and piles of exhibits and exotic water Pokémon, she had just about forgotten it and was exclaiming phrases like "Ah, that Sealeo is so cute!" Drew, on the other hand, would break from his silence to discuss the aesthetics of a certain Pokémon ,or to comment on the historical relevance of another.

After some more wandering and a visit to the gift shop, they exited the museum with a souvenir each - matching keychains with "Slateport Oceanic Museum" printed on them. May had insisted, and to her delight Drew had agreed, which he didn't always do. Humming a little, she attached her newly bought souvenir to her bag, enjoying the jingle of it as she walked. It was now around five o'clock, and for dinner Drew suggested a restaurant he had tried before. She agreed, and so about half an hour later they found themselves seated by the west end of said restaurant.

As they ate, May found herself captivated by the sunset. Stray clouds streaked across the sky, letting the golden light do the same, while purples and pinks populated the shadowy areas. Along the gold-soaked streets, people still strolled leisurely, some stopping to relish the sunset as well. Glancing at Drew, May saw that he had also turned to look out the window, and now had a soft, almost dreamy look on his face, as if he were contemplating something wonderful and lovely. Out of impulse she reached for his hand, but she stopped herself after thinking twice; she didn't want to startle him back into reality when he was looking so peaceful for once.

Smiling, she turned to watch him as the sun slid lower and lower, thinking to herself that this sight was much more worth watching than any gorgeous sunset.


	5. Kissing

He wasn't the most demonstrative person, physically. They would go days, weeks without even holding hands even though she leaned backward on his shoulder while reading or snuggled up next to him in a blanket. More often, while they were traveling she would visit his room and sit on his bed as they discussed the outcomes of contests or the techniques they were trying to perfect or a rookie coordinator who had recently come to fame. They were used to it - _she_ was used to it, despite coming from a huggy family. It wasn't like they had to be physically affectionate all the time. And he definitely didn't come from a huggy family.

But sometimes, just sometimes while she was leaning on him, absorbed in her book, he would reach over and pull the blanket toward himself so that it was covering both of them. And then she would feel him turn toward her, relax against her. Rest his head on her shoulder. And then he would place his lips against her neck in a soft kiss.

If she was in the mood, she usually closed her book and turned her head a little to look at him, to let him know that she was waiting. Their eyes would meet. Her heart would stop.

He'd pull the blanket more and she would turn to face him completely, sliding her legs off the edge of the bed to turn, feeling her thigh press against his; now the blanket wrapped around them, enveloped them in a fuzzy warmth, circling and enclosing just as she imagined their emotions must do.

She would close her arms around his neck and kiss him lightly, first, close to the mouth but not quite. _I love you, _that kiss said. He would lean closer and place a chaste kiss on her forehead, then another on her cheek, then a third on her lips.

_I adore you,_ his kisses said.

He didn't always say much, but he didn't _do _much either. She'd had boyfriends who said very little in the way of romance but "made up" for it later in physicality, and she'd known guys who did very little physically but made up for it in words. He was neither; he seemed to always be holding himself back, not out of fear or timidity but because it was a part of his character. Sometimes she doubted that he felt much at all. But then she would remind herself of the little ways she knew he cared, and it made each word or gesture that much more meaningful. One word from him was worth a thousand I-love-you's from any other person; one kiss was worth millions. She could almost feel his words trembling with the intensity of their meaning, weighed down with it, full with the nuances and feeling that they could have.

And so they kissed and she would hold him closer, hoping that he knew that _she_ knew how much he cared.

* * *

So originally I was going to have this from Drew's point of view because I want to alternate between their two POVs, but I decided I couldn't. It had to be from May's point of view because I don't know what I would write for Drew. It's much more interesting from her perspective because the fact that _he_ is the less affectionate person makes his affectionate gestures more meaningful and better suited as analysis material.


	6. In His Clothes

May slipped his jacket over her shoulders, feeling a bit strange. They were at Harley's place in Slateport with a group of their coordinator friends - Brianna, Solidad, Dawn and other - and somehow, after a few drinks maybe, Brianna had suggested playing a card game, and Solidad had suggested pairing them up in teams, and Harley had suggested that the losing team would exchange clothes. Everyone laughed at the suggestion and tried to find someone close to their size, but by what she felt must have been Harley's evil scheming, May ended up with Drew.

And they lost miserably.

After the game had finished, everyone discussed ways that the two of them would exchange their clothes, since they couldn't strip naked in each other's presence. Well, technically they could, and someone had laughingly suggested it (Harley?) but May and Drew shot it down immediately, in unison. That had gotten a laugh.

So they thought about it and Solidad pointed out that one person could change in the bathroom shower while the other changed outside, and they could exchange clothes easily through the shower curtain.

Now they were in the bathroom and she had drawn the curtain and Drew suggested that they exchange the same articles of clothing at the same time. She agreed. If anything happened, or if the rest of the group tried to walk in somehow, at most they would only be missing one article of clothing each.

"Shirt," he said.

As she took off her bandanna and pulled the fabric of her shirt over her head she couldn't help hearing the rustle of clothing from the other side. Something dropped to the floor - his jacket? - and she heard the soft slide of cloth on skin. There was a change in the sound that must have been him pulling his shirt over his head. May realized suddenly that he must be shirtless now, on the other side of the curtain. He didn't work out - he didn't have time - but she knew he was rather toned from years of working with Pokemon.

Her heart thumped.

His hand, shirt in its grasp, suddenly thrust itself through the side of the curtain, startling her. "Here," he said, voice seeming strangely disembodied. "Hand me yours."

She took his shirt and put hers in his hand. "Here you go."

The hand disappeared. She held his shirt for a moment, noticing that it was still warm. She put her arms through the sleeves, pushed her head through the collar, ran her hands through her hair and pulled it out of the collar. Meanwhile she heard a small intake of breath as he undoubtedly tried to squeeze himself into the skin-tight menace that was her shirt.

"This is not going to work," came his voice from outside, sounding a little disgruntled.

May giggled. "Try your best, I guess."

"Why is it so tight?"

"It stretches; don't worry about it."

A few grunts later he told her "pants" and she set to work on taking off her skirt and leggings, meanwhile trying to imagine what Drew must look like now. Stuck in that skin-tight top, without pants, only boxers? She couldn't resist a snort.

"What is it?" asked Drew, sounding even more disgruntled than before, as if anticipating the humiliation.

"Nothing," she said, biting back her laughs. She put her hand through the curtain and gave him her skirt, receiving his pants. "Just imagining."

She received a sulking, brooding silence in return.

After some sounds of struggle and a brief silence, he said, "Jacket." This time the article came hurtling over the top of the shower and landed on May's head, eliciting a surprised cry.

"You could've warned me," she said huffily, pulling it on. "Here, you have to wear my bandanna, too."

"Really?" He sounded weary.

"Really."

A sigh, and then his hand came through the shower curtain one last time, and she placed the bandanna in his hand and watched it withdraw from her sight. Curiosity was welling up in her now, and to her relief it wasn't long before he finally said, "Done," and she could pull aside the curtain.

She couldn't stop laughing for five minutes, even after they had exited the bathroom.

The shirt was _much_ too tight for him - his nipples were showing through it audaciously - the skirt was _much_ too short, and it appeared he hadn't shaved his legs. Worse yet was the fact that her bandanna bound his usually voluminous hair flat, pasting his bangs against his forehead. It was horrific and beautiful at the same time. No one knew whether to laugh or cry.

* * *

Sorry for taking so long on this chapter! And sorry that it's so crappy and slow-paced, too. I've been busy and I realized that I haven't been doing homework _at all, _so I decided that I won't be doing all 30 days consecutively. I'll still try to update in a timely manner, though.

Also, I had no idea how to make them change clothes until I thought of Harley. Peer pressure is useful as a plot point. xD


End file.
